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Science and Spirituality in Pastoral Theology “Science and Spirituality in Pastoral Theology” is the title for the 2010 conference. This theme emerged from your suggestions in Atlanta. Three Society members have been invited to be our plenary speakers: Amenti Sujai, David Hogue and Bonnie Miller-McLemore. Three members have agreed to respond to these presentations: Marie McCarthy, John Blevins and Carrie Doehring. Copies of their papers will be available and emailed to you about 2 weeks before the conference. We are excited to have such great leadership.
SETTING:
The Hyatt Regency O’Hare is located in Rosemont, a short distance from O’Hare Airport and free shuttle service is available from the airport. The shuttle runs every 15 minutes from 5 am to midnight and every half hour from midnight to 5 am. Just go to the Bus Shuttle Center at O’Hare and wait for a shuttle. There is no cost and no call is necessary. The hotel is also located a short walk from the subway (2 and ½ blocks) and we can take the subway into downtown Chicago for dining and activities. Your Steering Committee found the rooms clean and spacious, the staff courteous and helpful, and the food reasonable and delicious! The hotel features wi-fi access, a variety of eating options, and a 24 hour gym. Parking is available. A limited block of rooms have been reserved so call early. The cost is $139.00 for single or double, $149.00 for triple and $159.00 for a quad. Call 1-847-696-1244 or 1-800-233-1234 to make your reservation. Be sure to say you are attending the Society for Pastoral Theology Annual Study Conference, to ensure the proper room rate charges as well as to ensure that the Society receives credit for rooms reserved. This block of rooms is only held at this price until May 24 so be sure to make your reservations early. The hotel address is 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Rosemont, IL. 60018.
The Steering Committee regularly makes available a limited number of hotel rooms (double occupancy) for graduate students in the field. If you would like to apply for one of these rooms, please complete the application included in the registration form.
If you would like help in finding a roommate, send an email directly to Roslyn Karaban (rkaraban@stbernards.edu) and she will help you connect with others who are in search of sharing a room.
A PRE-CONFERENCE CONSULTATION:
The SPT People of Color Group will host a pre-conference session, “Pastoral Theology from the Margin.” The Co-Coordinators of the group are Lee Butler and K. Samuel Lee. The first conversation was between Korean/Korean Americans and African/African Americans. This year, we are opening our conversation to include all racial-ethnic pastoral theologians. We will gather at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 16th for informal dinner conversation. We will reconvene Thursday morning, June 17th, at 8:30 am. Our conversation will be facilitated around four presentations that will explore pastoral theology from the margins of our discipline. Students are invited to submit proposals for a 15 minute presentation to Lee Butler lbutler@ctschicago.edu and K. Sam Lee slee@cst.edu. The morning session will end with a business meeting and lunch. SPT persons of color are invited to join our google group at http://groups.google.com/group/sptcolor. Please register for the pre-conference using the 2010 SPT Conference Registration Form.
WORK IN PROGRESS:
As our work-in-progress, Duane Bidwell of Claremont School of Theology will present “Nurturing Hope: Engaging Children at the Intersection of Science and Spirituality.” Duane will reflect on pastoral theological understandings of “hope” in relation to insight from his collaborative, interdisciplinary research among children with chronic illness. The work informs a book manuscript intended for parents, pastors, and communities of faith. The work-in-progress is always a stimulating and interesting experience and this year’s speaker and topic promise continued excellence.
SOCIETY LUNCHEON:
Charter member and recently retired Professor Glenn Asquith has agreed to be our Luncheon speaker and grace us with his wisdom. His talk is entitled: “Travel in a Little-Known Country.” In this talk Glenn will reflect on his involvement in events in our field which were previously “little-known” – the formation of SPT, the publication of a first-ever major reference work (Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling), and the need to “sell” pastoral theology to seminaries that were close to his heart – Southern Baptist in Louisville, and Moravian.
THEOLOGICAL STUDY GROUPS:
Each of our study groups focuses on a particular area, though the specific topics differ from year to year. Under the leadership of at least two Society members, and with a core of participants, groups welcome anyone attending the conference to visit and participate in conversation. Study groups meet annually, providing a small support community for ongoing research and related interests on theological themes. In this regard the study groups differ from workshops, which are one-time contributions during which members present and lead discussions on specific topics. Theological study groups may disband as goals and purposes are met, and new study groups may be formed. The study groups are open to anyone. You are invited to email a Chair ahead of time, sign up at registration, or just drop in.
Study Groups will meet Friday, 2:15-4:00 p.m.
1. Faith and Health:
Kelly Arora - 720-344-5334, karora@stu.iliff.edu Guy Pujol - 404-309-4489, guypujol@mindspring.com
The Faith and Health Study Group examines the intersection of faith and health through the lens of pastoral theology. The group explores the pastoral, theological, and ethical implications of religious practices, spirituality, and personal faith in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of persons, families, and communities. This year we invite papers that reflect the theme: “Healing and/or Curing: How do Pastoral Theologians/Caregivers Understand Healing/Curing and What Do We Think We Are or Should Be Doing as Pastoral Caregivers/Theologians?” Please email proposals, works-in progress, or completed papers to the group co-leaders by April 15, 2010. study group reviews new research/scholarship in faith and health while considering upcoming opportunities for pastoral theologians within the field.
2. The Church and Christian Formation:
Eileen Campbell-Reed - 615-662-8699, ecampbellreed001@luthersem.edu Charles Scalise - 206-284-9000, cscalise@fuller.edu
The Church and Christian Formation study group enjoys the opportunity to hear and discuss a wide range of case studies and works in progress on its theme. Sessions present and engage contemporary and historical case studies that critically examine ways in which the church impacts Christian formation of diverse individuals and groups. This year two papers will be presented, each followed by our tradition of a lively discussion.
Annie Hardison-Moody “Walking the Walk: Charting Religious Women's Participation in Human Rights Work” How and why do religiously motivated actors negotiate the highly secularized world of human rights discourse and practice? One answer to this question came from a volunteer with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), who recently told me, “You don’t have to be religious to do this work, but if you are religious, you have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.” This theme of “walking the walk” has emerged in interviews and participant observation research that I have conducted with volunteers and activists at women’s human rights organizations. For these women, being religious paradoxically means participating in and advocating for a human rights framework that defines itself as highly secularized. In this paper, I argue that these women’s activist work, which I define as a practice of care, blurs the boundaries between religious and human rights practices. This necessitates a practical theological re-visioning of just what it means to be the church in the world.
Eileen R. Campbell-Reed “Sub(mission): How Clergywomen Reinterpret Schism in the Southern Baptist Convention” Schism in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), between 1960 and 2000, has been inadequately understood in both academic and partisan interpretations. Clergywomen have been ignored for roles played and contributions made to the cultural shift, raising the question: How do Baptist clergywomen’s narratives reinterpret the schism? The Southern Baptist schism is gendered to its core. Three sets of related claims support this central point. First the interplay between early psychological formations and complementarity culture in the stories of clergywomen conspire not only in their lives but throughout Baptist culture so that the dynamics of domination and submission run through every aspect of the schism. Simultaneously good enough practices of parenting and a culture of freedom and autonomy, together create intrapsychic space for clergywomen to imagine work as ministers and to act as subjects empowered to resist and overturn structures of domination and subordination. Thus the split can be understood as both a gendered struggle for male leaders in the denomination to maintain power and a gendered struggle among female leaders to reunite desire and work. A second exploration reveals stories about the embodied presence of clergywomen in Baptist churches and highlights the relational split between autonomy (male) and sexuality (female). As desiring subjects engaging the work of ministry, clergywomen recast the Baptist schism as a reaction to a) the possibility of creative reunion between autonomy and sexuality, and b) the threat of losing control felt by those in power. A final exploration considers how women’s embodied presence as desiring subjects changed not only their own self-image and their relationships, it also reshaped the cultural landscape by disrupting the iconography of male and female power (complementarity) which is embedded in a long struggle between narratives of complementarity and freedom and deeply entangled in the history of the Christian church.
3. Religious Practices and Pastoral Research:
Leonard Hummel - 717-338-3000, lhummel@ltsg.edu Mary Moschella - 202-885-8675, mmoschella@wesleyseminary.edu
The Religious Practices and Commitment Group has been renamed and repurposed. The Religious Practices and Pastoral Research group offers colleagues a chance to hear or present recent work that may involve empirical research, ethnography, congregational studies or theoretical reflective topics related to pastoral research.
4. Embodiment:
Jennifer Baldwin - 770-312-4637, jbaldwin@lstc.edu Christina Jones - 713-819-6514, c.a.jones07@gmail.com Don Rickard - 303-359-8689, drickard@du.edu
This study group will engage the topic of embodiment by first focusing on our own embodiment in relation to our theories, practices and pedagogy. To do so, the group will participate in mindfulness yoga exercises followed by a time of reflection on that experience. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and may also bring a yoga mat if preferred. Please note that no prior yoga experience is necessary. All are welcome.
5. Theological Anthropology:
Jim Higginbotham - 765-983-1688, higgij@carlham.edu Jan Holton - 203-432-5371, jan.holton@yale.edu
The theological anthropology study group offers a supportive and critical ear to those who are working on particular projects such as articles and papers related to faith and the human condition. Members who have interest should contact Jim Higginbotham or Jan Holton for information.
6. Theological Dimensions of Family:
Herb Anderson - 206-720-0253, handerson@plts.edu Bonnie Miller-McLemore - 615-343-3970, bonnie.miller-mclemore@vanderbilt.edu
This group has engaged in a variety of activities from paper presentations and syllabi discussion to shared reading and research-in-progress. Our successful and desired practice has been to invite participants to come prepared to discuss current projects in research and/or teaching. After brief introductions, those who want more time for discussion and feedback on their work identify themselves and the remaining time is divided accordingly.
7. Brain Sciences and Pastoral Theology:
David Hogue - 847-866-3983, david.hogue@garrett.edu Amenti Sujai - 803-535-5399, asujai@claflin.edu
The Brain Sciences and Pastoral Theology Study group attempts to bring contemporary findings in the neurosciences into dialogue with pastoral theology and pastoral psychology. Areas of interest include topics such as the mind/brain relationship, biological processes underlying human suffering and healing, the relational brain, and theological anthropology. Both formal presentations and emerging discussion have been centerpieces of earlier meetings. Paul Shrier will present a paper titled “Attending to Our Direction: the Spiritual Discipline of Attending to Those We Serve.” Additional proposals are welcome and may be forwarded to either coordinator no later than April 1.
8. Economics and Pastoral Theology:
Jim Poling - 847-866-3900, jpoling@garrett.edu Pam Couture - 585-271-1320, pcouture@spst.edu
The purpose of the study group is to improve our knowledge and skills for interpreting the economic realities of our world and the way they affect individuals, families, and congregations. The discussion this year will focus on individual research projects. We invite participants to report on research that shows the impact of economics on pastoral care and counseling.
9. Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue:
Gregory Ellison - 404-727-7291, gelli01@emory.edu Kathleen Greider - 909-447-2540, kgreider@cst.edu
This study group will seek to address critically the “changing face” of discourse in pastoral theology and its sensitivity to issues of inclusivity. The content of these discussions will include, but not be limited to, how issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and the interrelation of different religions impact the theory, practice and pedagogy of pastoral theology, care and counseling. The convenors of this new study group welcome presentations that explore intercultural and interreligious aspects of this year’s conference theme, or present research on other topics relating communal-contextual aspects of inclusivity and pastoral theology. Please submit your proposals for brief presentations to both convenors by email no later than April 15.
10. Spirituality and/in Pastoral Practices:
Francesca Nuzzolese fnuzzole@eastern.edu Duane Bidwell - 909-447-2528, dbidwell@cst.edu
This study group will primarily be an opportunity for pastoral practitioners and teachers of pastoral care and spiritual formation to bring into dialogue pastoral theologies and practices of care with traditional and current spiritual beliefs, practices, and resources for pastoral formation.
This group will seek to: 1. explore how our personal spirituality informs or fails to inform our theory and praxis of care; 2. critique the way language and practices of spirituality have been marginalized within the overly-clinicalized field of pastoral care and counseling; 3. envision ways to revitalize our field with the richness of spiritual resources available in our Christian tradition, aiming at the formation and transformation of whole persons within whole communities.
WORKSHOPS:
Workshops focus on a particular topic that reflects the current research interests of the presenter. There are several workshops from which to choose, on Thursday. Use the registration form to indicate your first (1st) and second (2nd) choices of the workshops you plan to attend.
1. Science and Spirituality in the Pastoral Care of Married Couples Presenter: Philip Mamalakis
This workshop will explore how pastoral theologians can make use of the best research from contemporary science regarding marriage. We will discuss how to avoid the two pitfalls of pastoral care: 1. Ignoring the latest in science, dismissing it as incompatible with a faith tradition, and 2. embracing the science uncritically, adopting secular assumptions and perspectives and losing sight of a faith perspective. The presenter will offer an approach he will refer to as “appropriation,” rather than integration, and will allow participants to discuss the implications and applications of appropriating science in their ministry, pastoral care, and professional endeavors.
2. Pastoral Care, Genetics, and Reproductive Technologies Presenters: Karen Scheib and Patricia Page (Genetics Counselor)
Genetic technologies are developing rapidly. “Direct to consumer” genetic testing is now available, the number of genetic tests included in state mandated newborn screening have increased, and persons receiving infertility treatments are now undergoing pre-implantation testing. While genetic counselors sensitively handle many issues, these genetic technologies raise ethical, theological, and pastoral issues. Are we training ministers to be prepared to provide guidance and counsel to persons facing these issues? Do parishioners see ministers as knowledgeable enough about these technologies to turn to them for guidance? These are questions I am asking now in a research project at Emory with an interdisciplinary team of colleagues from the Department of Genetics in the School of Medicine, the Center for Ethics, and the School of Public Health. I hope to have preliminary data from the study to report. I will also report on my teaching of a class (twice now) on genetics and pastoral care.
3. Zen Meditation and Psychotherapy Presenter: Insook Lee
This workshop will explore the potentially powerful dialogue in human suffering and healing between the contemplative psychology and spirituality of the East and the scientific model of the West. This dialogue will help us understand what Zen meditation can do to enrich the contemporary Western psychotherapy. Long-term practice of Zen meditation is thought to result in enduring changes in mental and brain functions, and thus neuroscience is one of the ways to understand and explain this interface between Zen spirituality and modern psychotherapy.
4. The Physiology and Theology of Stress: An Integrative Discussion Presenters: Paul Shrier and Cahleen Shrier
The workshop will consist of three parts. Part 1 will give an overview of recent physiological definitions, descriptions and mechanisms of human stress. Part 2 will consider some theological perspectives on stress, both from a doctrinal and Biblical studies perspective. Part 3 will create a dialogue between the physiological and theological discussions of stress, suggesting some ways that stress can be addressed in daily life. The workshop will conclude with a discussion of stress that considers contributions from other disciplines, as well as examining other theological doctrines and Biblical studies approaches. We hope that this discussion will also draw from perspectives on stress in a variety of cultures and subcultures.
5. An Integral Approach to Science and Spirituality in Pastoral Theology Presenter: Greg Johanson
This workshop will weave together contributions from Ken Wilber’s philosophy of science and Theodore Jennings’ conceptions of the linguisticality of experience and the religious imagination to define terms and suggest an integrative framework for pastoral theology.
6. Healing Wisdom: Ministry in Depth Presenters: Kathleen Greider, Deborah Hunsinger and Felicity Kelcourse
This workshop considers the need to invite introspection, self-awareness and contextual sensitivity for students learning the art of pastoral care, whether in introductory pastoral care and counseling courses, in field education or in CPE. Co-editors Kathleen Greider, Deborah Hunsinger and Felicity Kelcourse will join contributors to an edited volume of the same name (Eerdmans 2010) in reflecting on the volume's intended contribution to theological education.
Displays at the Annual Study Conference:
The Steering Committee has adopted a policy that commercial displays of goods for sale by members are not appropriate at our Annual Study Conferences.
CEU’s:
The Steering Committee cannot provide CEU’s for those who attend our Society meetings. A certificate confirming one’s attendance at the meeting can be made available upon request. Please be sure to indicate your request on the registration form. The certificate will be made available at the conference registration desk.
Future Meeting Site:
The SPT 2011 Annual Study Conference will convene in Denver in 2011, June 16-18. Mark your calendars and begin planning to attend! Residents in Denver who would like to volunteer to serve on the local planning committee may contact a Steering Committee member at the Chicago conference this summer.
Please, bring a copy of the Spring Newsletter to the Study conference in Chicago. That way you will have the enclosed materials and we will all contribute to saving trees.
SPT QUICK REFERENCE, 2009-2010
Steering Committee
Co-Chairs: Daniel Hembree dhembree@clafin.edu 803-535-5894 Siroj Sorajjakool ssorajjakool@llu.edu 909-558-4300 Treasurer: Jeanne Hoeft jhoeft@spst.edu 816-245-4814 Recording Secretary: Elizabeth Johnson Walker ewalker@lpts.edu 502-895-3411 Corresponding Secretary: Roslyn Karaban rkaraban@stbernards.edu 585-271-3657
Journal of Pastoral Theology Editors
Managing Editor: Duane Bidwell dbidwell@cst.edu 918-270-6449 Publications Editor: Pamela Cooper-White cooperwhite@ctsnet.edu 404-687-4527 Book Review Editor: Carrie Doehring cdoehring@ilif.edu 303-765-3169
Dates to Remember
Denver: June 16-18, 2011 Los Angeles: June 14-16, 2012
For information on previous Annual Meetings, please visit the following links:
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